The top 5 reasons your CRM Solution will flop

There are many reasons which can, ultimately, lead to your CRM solution being abandoned by your users. Here are what we consider to be the top 5.

1. It isn't relevant
I should point out that the title is not suggesting that CRM is unnecessary but more that it has not been designed to be relevant to the Users and what THEY need from the system.

In our years of experience, of making CRM solutions a success, we have discovered that the number one reason why CRM systems historically fail and become expensive wastes of time, is because the user experience was never considered before implementation. Too much emphasis was put on how high-level management needed accountability for blame, or merely needed some method of justification for particular departments or roles.

There is an adage which says "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" and this is undoubtedly true when it comes to any CRM solution.

Even before going to market for a new CRM solution, clear definitions need to exist as to the purpose of the system. Questions should be asked, such as by whom it will be used? What will they need to be able to do with (and get from) the solution? How will it be accessed? As well as which departments will use the CRM and what reporting functionality needs to be drawn out from the data inside it?

2. No top-level enthusiasm
All too often we hear users saying that they are not going to use the company's CRM system purely because those at the senior management level are not enthusiastic about the system, so they don't see the value. Leading from the front is vital if the provided systems are to be seen as anything other than a burden on staff.

Encouragement, validation, and explanation of the benefits of using the system, from those at key levels can make all the difference when it comes to user adoption.

3. Not available when needed
There's no easier way to give your users the perfect excuse to not use the system you have provided than for them not being able to access it when they need it.

It may be well and good that you have the most perfectly designed database sitting behind your beautifully branded and themed screens. It may all be perfectly laid out to give exactly the information the user needs to be able to see. But the fact remains that, if they can't get to it at the right time, they're not going to bother updating it when they can.

Many CRM solutions are now providing access via the web and mobile apps, meaning that there is no reason for a user to say that they couldn't get the information they needed at the precise moment they needed it.

4. Lack of user knowledge
Although listed as number 4 in this list, users not knowing how to use the provided solution is a major cause of lack of adoption and, ultimately, failure of a CRM solution.

It's still hard to understand why any organisation would go to such lengths as to invest time and money into the identification, development, and implementation of a CRM system, only to scrimp when it comes to actually educating those who will be using the system (from both an end user and administrative perspective) as to how to access and use the system.

This, again, is seen by the users as a lack of enthusiasm from the top level, with little encouragement being given as to how to use, let alone get the best from, the CRM solution, or that they are simply being set up for a fall for not using the system.

Without appropriate training, your users are nothing more than observers and your data will quickly become stagnant, out of date, and useless.

5. Lack of support
So the system has been designed, your users have been trained, the enthusiasm levels are through the roof, and a positive glow radiates from everyone in your organisation for the future with your CRM solution.

Then something goes wrong, and you find your system dead in the water, with no help available to get it returned to its fully functional state.

Without a support plan in place, even the smallest issue can result in a lack of confidence in the system or processes not being able to be followed and, ultimately, the system being shelved by users as 'unreliable.'

Enable have been implementing CRM solutions for years and have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to ensuring that your CRM solution is destined to soar like an eagle from the outset, and not become an albatross around your corporate neck.

About Mike

A passionate and dedicated individual with nearly 19 years of experience at Enable Technologies. Mike is a key member of the Enable team and has grown and adapted with the business.